About the Census App

We're publishing Colorado's numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau's yearly survey (not to be confused with its 10-year census). This data is a snapshot into how Colorado's counties and cities have changed year over year since 2006.

Note that this data is only collected for counties and cities with more than 65,000 residents.

According to the census bureau, $400 billion in government funds are allocated based on this data. This data is also used for planning — where to locate schools, hospitals, roads.

From the bureau:

The U.S. Census Bureau released the results of the 2009 American Community Survey (ACS), one of a series of data products the Census Bureau is releasing in the coming months that provides information on the nation’s population. Today’s release is based on survey responses collected over the course of the 2009 calendar year and provides data about the nation’s socioeconomic, housing and demographic characteristics. The first set of 2010 Census data, including the nation’s population and congressional apportionment figures for the states, will be released by the end of 2010, as required by law.

...

Focusing on the population’s characteristics, the ACS complements, but is different from, the 2010 Census population data. As a complete count of the population, the 2010 Census data are critical for people who need to know how many people live in the United States and where they live. The ACS data, on the other hand, are based on a sample survey of the nation and describe how we live by providing estimates of key social, economic and housing characteristics.

Today’s release covers more than 40 topics, such as income, educational attainment, housing and family structure for all geographies with populations of 65,000 or more.